Heart's Feelings
by abitlovely
Summary: DISCONTINUED Sakuno has decided to give up on Ryoma but will she be able to succeed when Ryoma starts falling for her?
1. One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis. If I did, I wouldn't go to college anymore :P

* * *

"Bye Sakuno! I'll see you tomorrow 'kay? Oh and don't forget to bring that banner we made for Ryoma-sama!"

"Hai!" Ryuzaki Sakuno answered as she gathered her things.

The bell rang 10 minutes ago signaling that the last class for the day was over. Sakuno was eager to go home and do her weekend homework. She needed to finish everything by tonight since she promised her Obaa-san she would do them. It was the only way she'll let her go to see the game since the Nationals were being held in a place 5 hours from Tokyo. She really couldn't get to and from Tokyo so easily so her grandmother suggested that she stay with her in the hotel they were staying at and then go back to Tokyo on Sunday.

Sakuno closed her bag and swung it over her shoulders. She smiled as she exited the classroom. She was getting excited at the thought of watching the finals but felt nervous and worried that something might happen again that would injure the regulars. She decided to shake the feeling off seeing as it wasn't healthy or right to think that way.

"Seigaku regulars are strong! They should be fine." Sakuno told herself.

She was already at the school gates when she suddenly stopped walking. A feeling crept through her, she felt like she had forgotten something…

"Oh crap! Sakuno, you idiot!" she scolded herself.

She had forgotten to bring with her, her English notebook which was the thing that would help her in doing her homework. She was very bad at English and desperately jotted notes during class in hopes of understanding it when she got home. She could never really grasp the concept of English no matter how hard she tried. Even the constant borrowing of 'Easy Guide to English' book from the library didn't solve the problem. She wasn't like Ryoma, who spoke fluent English due to the fact that he had lived in America for quite some time.

She needed her notes in order for her to answer the guide questions or else she'd be doomed.

She ran as fast as she could. She needed to go home quickly since she had tons of homework to do and only a limited time of doing it.

After 10 minutes of running (her classroom was on the 4th floor), she reached the classroom panting. She bent down and placed her hands on her knees for a while before entering the classroom. Sakuno placed her hand on the handle and was about to open the door when she suddenly heard a voice.

"Yeah…I know that…But…"

"Who the hell could still be in here? I was the last one to leave the classroom." Sakuno thought. She could tell it was guy and it was obvious that he was talking on his cell phone since he didn't hear anyone else's voice, unless he could be talking to himself which would make him slightly insane.

"Wait a minute…that voice sounds familiar…"

She slowly opened the door but not to its full extent; it was just enough for her to see who was inside and also enough for her not to be seen.

She blushed as she saw who the mystery guy was. It was Echizen Ryoma, talking on the phone. So I was right…

She felt silly for spying on him and so she decided to open the door and get her notebook. She needed to start on her homework if she wanted to go see the game. She was about to come in when she heard something that made her heart stop beating.

"Yeah…okay I'll go back to America after the Nationals."

She couldn't breathe the moment she heard the words slip from Ryoma's mouth. She tried to move but found that she couldn't. It was like she was glued to the spot. She was in shock. Several thoughts and questions filled her mind in an instant.

_Is this a joke? A dream? Is this for real? _

Deep inside, she knew that Ryoma would someday go away. She just refused to entertain the thought because she couldn't accept it. She was in denial.

She knew his tennis meant the world to him and therefore would take every opportunity to improve his skill. That was just the kind of person Ryoma was, he had a strong will to defeat his father in tennis and going to America would help him greatly.

Sakuno woke up from his thoughts and realized that she had been standing there like an idiot for quite some time already. She still needed to go home and finish her homework.

She breathed a sigh and entered the classroom. Ryoma looked at her curiously. He wondered what she would be doing here seeing as class ended almost an 45 minutes ago. Did she hear the conversation with my father? Was she spying on me? How long was she there?

"Gomen Ryoma-kun…I didn't think anyone would be still here. A-Ano…I just need to get my English notebook and I'll be on my way."

"Uhn" Ryoma managed to utter. He was still lost in his thoughts about the girl.

Sakuno approached her desk and quickly found her notebook. She bowed to Ryoma and hurriedly got out of the room.

Sakuno ran as fast as she could. She didn't give herself time to entertain her thoughts on Ryoma going back to America. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible, finish her homework then go to the game and have a good time.

"Everything will be alright." She tried to convince herself but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she arrived at the front door of her house.

"Ryoma-kun's leaving…"


	2. Two

"RYOMA-SAMA!!! RYOMA-SAMA!!!" Tomoka screamed Echizen's name as loud as she could. They were already at the finals of the Nationals where a game between Rikkai and Seigaku took place. It was Echizen Ryoma against Rikkai's Seiichi Yukimaru – the Captain. The score was 3-2 with Seigaku in the lead.

"Tomo-chan…please calm down…" Sakuno managed to utter to her best friend though she wasn't really sure if she heard her. Every time she opened her mouth, it was like there was a bomb exploding or something.

"RYOMA-SAMA!!! RYOMA-SAMA!!!"

Sakuno sighed. So she didn't hear me after all.

She gave up trying to calm down her friend and shifted her attention to the game. Her eyes rested upon Ryoma's face. She was getting worried. Ryoma seemed to be sweating a lot and she couldn't find the usual smirk that was always plastered on his face. Was he in trouble? She couldn't really tell. She was too much of a beginner in tennis to know what was really going on.

"There's something wrong." Fuji was looking worriedly at Ryoma. He was right. There was something wrong. It was like the game was going nowhere. Both were playing defense, no one was attacking.

"How come Ryoma just doesn't finish it?" Horio looked at the senpais for answer, their faces showing concern as they were watching the match.

"It's not that he doesn't want. It's that he can't." Inui adjusted his glasses and continued to write data in his notebook.

"The spin that Yukimura is creating is abnormal. I have never seen this kind of spin before nor did I ever think it would be possible to do. Rikkai's Yukimura is really something. Echizen can't just easily return it which means he's barely hanging on."

"Eh? But there is something that he can do right?" Horio looked at Inui waiting for him to answer and hoping that it would be something to cheer about.

"I don't know. I don't have any kind of data on that kind of spin." Inui adjusted his glasses yet again.

"Hmm…I hope Echizen will be okay."

Sakuno was listening in on the conversation. She was getting more and more concerned and worried about how the game will turn out.

Her gaze traveled back to the tennis prodigy and her concern suddenly turned to what happened yesterday at school. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake off the thought of Ryoma leaving.

"I hope he wins…let's cheer for him Sakuno-chan! I'm sure he'll win with us cheering for him!" Tomoka turned to her best friend who has spacing out beside her.

"Neh, Sakuno-chan! Are you listening to me? I can't believe you're spacing out on such an important match!"

"Gomen-gomen. I just have a lot in my mind that's all." Sakuno smiled at her best friend and told her not to worry about her. Tomoka frowned at her.

"Maybe she's just hungry or something…" Tomoka thought.

Sakuno felt relieved when Tomoka didn't press on the matter any further. She didn't really want to talk about what was bothering her. She knew she would cry if she muttered even just a single word about Ryoma leaving. She didn't want to cry now, not here where everyone could see her and the possibility of her ruining the game for everyone by crying about something that no one knows about yet was also in her head.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't think about this, not now. I have to cheer for Seigaku!" Sakuno mentally reminded herself. This was no time to be sad. She was here to cheer for Seigaku, to cheer for Ryoma.

"SEIGAKU!!! FIGHT-O!!!" She waved her pom-poms and cheered for her school like there was no tomorrow. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, including the regulars and her grandmother. They were never really used to her screaming this loud. Tomoka was usually the one to scream.

"Alright Sakuno! SEIGAKU FIGHT-O!!!"

And soon everyone joined in the cheering. The senpais smiled at her. Everyone's fighting spirits were suddenly raised by the loud cheering; even Tezuka who seemed passive at times radiated the eyes of a determined man (or boy…whichever XD).

Sakuno was upset. She knew that. But she didn't want everyone else to be upset just because she was. She knew when to let her feelings show and when to hide them. She was told by her Obaa-chan that she was mature for her age and so she took it as a compliment and acted like that ever since. But was what she was doing an act of maturity or just a futile attempt to fool everyone, including her, in thinking that everything was okay?

* * *

"Go Ochibi!!!" 

"Echizen is doing very well."

"Fsshuuu…"

"If he keeps this up, there is a 80 chance that he will win."

Echizen was able to come up with counterattack in less than 10 minutes and was starting to turn the game around. Yukimura was shocked at first but then just smiled as if he knew Echizen would do what he just did.

Sakuno listened to her senpais comments. She was used to it by now, Ryoma always winning. He didn't need her cheering.

So why was she there?

Then she suddenly remembered that incident in the train. It was Ryoma who saved her.

That sudden act of bravery attracted her to him.

_But he didn't really save me. He just thought that those guys were too noisy so he said something._

Back then, he didn't care. He never did nor will he ever.

"Tomo-chan, I'm just going to the bathroom 'kay?"

"Eh? Do you have to go now? We're at the crucial moment of Ryoma's victory!"

"Tomo-chan…we still don't know who the winner will be."

Sakuno turned and walked away leaving her friend in shock.

"What's her problem?" Tomoka wondered but dismissed the thought as Ryoma scored another point.

"RYOMA-SAMA!!!"

* * *

Sakuno arrived at the place where the bathroom was located. The truth is she never really needed to go to the bathroom. It was just one of her excuses to get out of there. She left like she was suffocating.

After a while, Sakuno decided to go for a walk in hopes of clearing her head with thoughts of him. She found a jogging path that was near a vending machine and decided to take it. The path was absolutely beautiful that it was a mystery that she didn't notice it before. It was filled with tall pine trees, its leaves slowly falling due to the breeze. The sun was shining brightly which made it so peaceful to look at. She loved looking at trees. It gave her a sense of serenity and for a moment, it seemed like all her troubles were taken away by the wind.

She closed her eyes for a minute, taking in the smell of the pine trees. Her thoughts started to drift back to Ryoma again. She had the urge to scream but when she opened her mouth, no words would come out.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the loud cheers coming from the tennis courts. She recognized Tomo-chan's voice among the screams and decided it was time to go back. She breathed in the smell of pine trees one more time before beginning her journey back to the tennis courts.

When she reached the tennis courts, she saw that the crowd had gotten larger and realized that it would be almost an impossible task to squeeze through where Tomo-chan and the others were. And so she decided to stay back and listen to how the game was doing. She didn't really like the idea of not being able to see Ryoma playing tennis. She admired Ryoma the most when he was at his top form and took pride in herself that she hadn't really missed any of his important matches.

She shrugged at the idea. It's not like he's going to notice I'm gone anyway. She looked at the spot where Tomo-chan and the others were. They were cheering and screaming their heads off for Ryoma to win the game.

_Looks like nobody noticed that I was gone._

But Sakuno didn't know that someone did notice…


	3. Three

**Author's notes:**

College freshmen orientation was DA BOMB! Totally excited for college now! Go Computer Studies! We may be geeks but geeks rock! Says who? Says me! Don't agree? Then bite me! XD

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I totally appreciate it! I shall update again as soon as I can Enjoy chapter 3!

**Cyansilent**: What do you mean by 'was it ryoma'? I'm kind of confused :P

* * *

POK

Ryoma glanced at the crowd, his cat-like eyes wandering, searching for the shy girl with the braided pig-tails.

POK

It wasn't like he needed her or couldn't play a decent game without her. No, it wasn't like that. He just felt a little more relaxed when the girl was there but for some bizarre reason, she wasn't there.

POK

Where is she?

POK

"40-15!"

Crap.

Ryoma couldn't believe that he let something as stupid as a girl distract him. He had to concentrate or else the senpais will kick his ass. He could only imagine what weird juice Inui will force him to drink this time. Ryoma shuddered as his body recalled the feeling of having to drink one of Inui's concoctions. It was like dying and then brought back to life only having to drink another one again.

Ryoma took the ball from his pocket and once again displayed his famous twist serve. Yukimura was able to return the serve easily and an endurance battle had begun. Ryoma mentally scolded himself for using the twist serve. He knew it didn't have any effect on Yukimura. It was unnecessary to use it.

_It's that girl's fault._

Ryoma felt more frustrated when she wasn't there and he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. It was probably because this was the first time that Sakuno wasn't there to cheer him on. He kept wondering why the girl was not at her usual spot with that loud friend of hers. Was she lost again? Was she in trouble?

"40-30!"

"Oi Echizen! What the hell are you doing?!" Momoshiro noticed that Echizen wasn't being himself. It wasn't like him to miss such a simple shot. He wondered if he was already tired or something but it didn't seem like he was.

Ryoma just glared at his senpai and positioned himself to serve. He wanted to smack himself with his racket. He pushed away his thoughts about the girl and tried to concentrate on the game. His curiosity just had to wait.

* * *

"Game set! Won by Echizen, 7-6!"

The crowd cheered for Ryoma as he approached the net to shake hands with Yukimura.

"You are some kid." Yukimura smiled at Echizen. He didn't feel too bad about losing but was disappointed at himself with not being able to win for his team especially since his team cared about him so much.

"Mada Mada Dane" Ryoma pulled down the tip of his cap and smirked at the Rikkai captain. He turned his back and was greeted by his senpais.

"Echizen you did very well."

"Ochibi was so cool!!!"

"You did okay Echizen…Fssshuuu…"

"It was my wake up call that did it for you right Echizen?"

"I had gathered very useful information thanks to you Echizen. Fu fu fu…"

"Are you okay Echizen? I was so worried about you!"

"You won with your burning power Echizen!!!"

Ryoma smiled at the comments of his senpais as he pulled his cap down yet again. He was really happy for winning but it wasn't his character to show it and so hid his expressions using his cap.

He looked at his team mates. Some were already fighting on where they should celebrate their victory. His eyes traveled to Tezuka's face and he wondered if he was going to say anything. Tezuka felt Ryoma's gaze and nodded at him. Ryoma understood immediately what that nod meant. It meant that he had been successful in becoming Seigaku's pillar of support. He was proud and glad at what he had accomplished but those feelings quickly drained as his thoughts about the girl flooded his mind. He searched for her familiar face in the crowd but was still unsuccessful. He was getting worried about her but his search was disturbed by a loud and annoying voice.

"RYOMA-SAMA!!!"

Now usually Ryoma would rather eat his racket than entertain Tomoka but since he remembered that Sakuno was usually with her, he made an exception. Ryoma sighed and mentally prepared himself for Tomoka's rants before turning his head towards her. He was surprised to see that it was only Tomoka and the freshmen trio that were running towards him.

"RYOMA-SAMA!!! You were so cool!!! I knew you'd win!" Tomoka was all over Ryoma the moment she arrived at the scene.

"I always had faith in Echizen! I knew he'd win!" Horio said proudly even though it wasn't something to boast about.

"Usotsuki!" Kachiro and Katsuo said at the same time.

Ryoma wanted desperately to know where Sakuno was. He was getting more and more worried by the minute. Images of her getting robbed by some guy or getting lost in some unknown place were flooding his head. He wanted to ask Tomoka where she was but then he would be questioned on why he was asking about her. Momoshiro and Eiji would start asking him weird questions again and he couldn't really handle that.

"Where's Sakuno?" Ryuzaki-sensei turned to Tomoka, a look of concern was seen on her face. She wondered if her granddaughter got lost again.

"Eh? She was here a minute ago…I didn't even notice that she was gone." Tomoka looked from left to right and found no signs of Sakuno.

Just as Ryuzaki-sensei was about to go look for Sakuno, she appeared from behind the freshmen trio.

"Where the on earth were you Sakuno? You missed Ryoma-sama's victory!" Tomoka placed her hands on her hips and scolded her friend. She couldn't believe that Sakuno would miss such an important event. Where did she go anyway? Was she really lost?

"Gomen Tomo-chan. When I came back from the bathroom, it became too hard for me to go back to where you guys were so I stayed behind the crowd."

"Oh yeah…you did say something about going to the bathroom I think...I was too busy watching the match to hear you. Gomen Sakuno-chan."

"It's alright Tomo-chan." Sakuno smiled at her friend. She was used to Tomoka not really listening to her and especially knew that you couldn't get her attention when she's watching Ryoma's game.

"That idiot girl, she could have at least remembered where Sakuno was." Ryoma thought as he tried to destroy the urge to strangle Tomoka for not paying attention to Sakuno. Who knows what could have happened to her. Ryoma instantly felt relieved when his theory of Sakuno being robbed or getting lost proved to be false.

"I thought you had gotten lost again Sakuno. I was about to prepare a search party for you." Ryuzaki-sensei smirked at her granddaughter.

"Obaa-san…I'm not that stupid." Sakuno blushed at her grandmother's remark and wondered if she really was that bad at directions. She knew she was joking but couldn't help take in the joke about her getting lost almost all the time.

Ryuzaki-sensei turned her attention to the Seigaku regulars.

"So, where are we going to celebrate?"

"SUSHI!!!" the Seigaku boys had agreed that they all had an urge to eat sushi and started to head down to the parking lot.

The Seigaku regulars, Tomoka, Sakuno and the freshmen trio piled inside Ryuzaki-sensei's van and headed to Kawamura's sushi shop.

Ryoma positioned himself in the window seat with Sakuno just behind him. Ryoma didn't usually sit there but looking out the window helped him think. He still needed to break the news to the others about him leaving for the States. He was afraid of how the others might react to his sudden departure. He didn't really admit it but he had grown attach to his senpais and what they had to say mattered to him.

And then there was also the issue about the girl. He wanted to know why he felt frustrated when she wasn't there and why on earth was he looking for her. He couldn't really understand what he was feeling and didn't know if he liked it or not.

Ryoma shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about such things. The only thing that he should bother himself with is tennis and nothing more.

* * *

Sakuno stared at Ryoma's back as if it was the only thing she saw. She wondered when he would break the news of him leaving for the States. She didn't really plan on being there when he did. She knew she would instantly break down into tears and probably go into a state of silence. Sakuno was the type of person who would cry easily, you could call it being weak and it was one of the many things she didn't like about herself.

She continued to stare at Ryoma's back as if searching for an answer or some sort of comfort that would tell her that this was all just a dream; that Ryoma isn't leaving, that it was all just a joke.

She had awakened from her thoughts as she felt the van stop. She sighed as she got out. She was happy that Seigaku won the Nationals since she knew how important it was to the regulars but she just couldn't help to not be in the mood to celebrate. She was trying to think of an excuse to get out of the gathering as they entered the sushi shop. She came up with several excuses but none that would be believable. After all, she wasn't good at lying and she didn't want to burden her grandmother by driving her all the way home for nothing.

"For God's sake, this is a time of celebration and being happy!" Sakuno reminded herself. She knew she had no right to ruin it for her grandmother and everyone else. All she needed to do was to shut up, eat and wait for the party to finish. And then she can go home and mope all she wants.

"Sushi's ready you guys!" Kawamura came up to the tables and placed several plates filled with different kinds of sushi. The moment the plates were set down on the table, the boys attacked the food like there was no tomorrow. The shop was so lively that Ryuzaki-sensei couldn't help but smile at them.

_I'll miss this…they're such a good bunch of kids._

She stood up and coughed, signaling the boys that she was about to say something and that they should shut up and stop whatever it was they were doing. Everyone looked up at their sensei, some frowned as they didn't want their eating to be disturbed.

"Don't worry Momo, I won't take up much time. I just want to say that you guys did your best and I'm all very proud of you. Don't ever change."

Ryuzaki-sensei turned her head to Tezuka, telling him to say something to his fellow regulars.

"Good work everyone."

Tezuka was never really the 'long-speech' type of person. He was, after all, a man of few words. His message was short but meant a lot to the regulars.

"Uhh…okay that's all you guys! You can eat again now!"

"Ano…" the boys were about to get ready to kill each other for food but Ryoma suddenly interrupted.

"I actually have something to say if you guys don't mind."

"Well hurry up Echizen! I want to eat as many as I can before going home!"

"You're so greedy…Fsshhuuuu…"

"What did you say Mamushi?!"

"Are you deaf porcupine head? I said you're greedy!"

"You're going to regret saying that!"

"Hmph. As if you can do anything about it!"

"What?! Why I…"

Ryoma sighed. It was hard enough to be able to tell them that he was leaving; now he had to get their attention too.

"QUIET." Tezuka snapped at them. Everyone stopped what they were doing as if someone pressed the pause button on them.

"Echizen." Tezuka turned his gaze onto Ryoma and waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

"Uhhh…ano…you see…" Ryoma pulled down his cap. He was having a hard time announcing the news of his sudden departure. He was getting nervous which wasn't like him at all.

"Spit it out Ochibi! We don't have all day you know!" Eiji stood up with chopsticks at hand. He was hungry as hell since Momoshiro ate his share of the sushi and was getting ready to steal back his sushi from Momoshiro's plate before Ryoma interrupted.

"I'm leaving for the States."

And before Ryoma could say another word, Sakuno was out the door.


	4. Four

Author's note:

I apologize for it being short. I have redone it so many times already and I still haven't thought of what should happen next hence it's shortness. Anyway I hope you guys still enjoy it

* * *

_I can't take it. _

The moment she stepped foot outside, she began to run.

She was running away.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She didn't know what to do or where to go. She just kept running.

She ran till she could no longer see the shop. She ran till her feet ached. She ran till she couldn't anymore.

_It hurts. It hurts…so much._

She stopped running after a while. She was already out of breath and was at her limit. She bent down and placed her hands on her knees. She was panting hard and her heart was beating fast. She looked up to see where she was and saw that she was in front of park she wasn't familiar with. She stood up straight and looked around her surroundings. She didn't know where she was.

She was lost yet again.

She sighed and walked over to where the swings were. She sat down and started to sway back and forth, her thoughts still on Ryoma. She wondered what they were doing now, how the others reacted to him leaving them – leaving her.

Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her chest.

_It still hurts…_

And then the tears started to flow. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't stop herself from doing so. She watched as each tear drop fell to the ground. Her chest ached from the thought of Ryoma. She tried thinking of other things but she would always find that it was somehow connected to him.

_Is Ryoma the center of the universe or something? Why is it that almost everything I do has something to do with him?_

Sakuno frowned at herself. She felt pathetic for liking a boy who doesn't even deserve her attention.

_Do I love him?_

Sakuno was surprised at herself. The question just popped out of nowhere. She began to wonder if she loved Ryoma. She knew she liked him from the moment he saved her from those guys in train but are his feelings from Ryoma beyond that? She couldn't answer her question. She didn't know. All she knew was that Ryoma didn't like her the way she likes him nor he ever will. She was just wasting her time on him.

She remembered all the times she made an effort for Ryoma to notice her. She wasn't like Tomoka who could easily say what she wanted to say. She was a very shy girl and talking to someone she really liked took a lot of courage on her part. She tried everything she could think of, hoping for even just a glance from her crush. She made him food that took a lot of work and she was always there at every one of his games to cheer him on when she could have been doing something else.

Ryoma still didn't notice her. And whenever he did talk to her, it was when he needed something or was forced to. All her efforts were done in vain.

She felt stupid. She was angry at herself for letting an arrogant boy take over her life. She didn't want this anymore. She had enough.

Sakuno let her feet dangle, stopping her from swaying. She stood up, the expression on his face screamed determination. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She had made a decision.

"No more Ryoma. No more tennis." she told herself.

Sakuno sighed. She looked around her surroundings that still remained unfamiliar to her.

"Well, no use in just standing here."

And with that she left the park, not knowing the trouble that awaits her just around the corner.

* * *

"Nani? You're kidding right, Ochibi?"

Ryoma had never seen Kikumaru's face so filled with confusion and frustration at the same time. He always seemed to be the cheerful and happy one in Ryoma's eyes. He felt a pang of guilt in his heart in knowing that he was the one who made Kikumaru do that kind of expression.

"Of course he's just kidding! Hey Echizen, I never knew you had a sense of humor! Hahaha!"

Ryoma frowned at Momoshiro and he stopped laughing. He knew that it wasn't a joke from the start. Ryoma wasn't the type to joke about stuff. And yet he treated what he said as one since he didn't know any other way to face the problem.

There was silence. No one knew what they should say or if they should say what they wanted to say.

"Eh? Where's Sakuno?"

Tomoka was the one to break the silence. Her eyes scanned the room but she still couldn't find her friend.

"Her bag is gone too…I can't believe she jus left without saying good-bye!"

"Nani? This isn't like Sakuno. Are you sure she didn't say anything to you before she left?" Ryuzaki-sensei was worried. It wasn't like her granddaughter to just suddenly leave. Where did she go?

"No…I'm sure she didn't say anything to me."

Ryoma stood up and swung his tennis bag on his left shoulder. He was headed for the door.

"Oi! Echizen! Where the hell are you going?!"

"Gomen. I'll explain things at another time. I…forgot something."

Momoshiro was about to grab him and shake some sense into him but before he could move, Ryoma had already closed the door behind him.

"What the hell was that?!"

Momoshiro punched the wall. He never really did understand Ryoma but he left him feeling more confused than ever. Is he really leaving for America? And where on earth did he just go?

"Oi! What about Sakuno?!"

Tomoka had her hands on her hips. She was getting anxious about the whereabouts of her friend. She knew Sakuno wasn't the type to just suddenly leave a party especially since Ryoma was here. Is there something wrong with her? And if there was, why doesn't she know about it?

Ryuzaki-sensei breathed in a heavy sigh. This was truly a confusing day. His granddaughter and student are missing. She thought of them being together and ended up having to suppress a laugh. There was no way they would be.

"I'm sorry everyone but I have to go. I have to find Sakuno before she gets into any trouble."

"Do you need any help sensei? We can help!"

Oishi was never really close with Sakuno but he knew the girl and it is his nature to get worried.

"There is a bigger chance of us finding her with more people."

Ryuzaki-sensei couldn't help but smile at them. They really were a good bunch.

"I appreciate it but I don't want to ruin your day any further by allowing you to help me find Sakuno. You guys should just stay here and have fun. I'll give you guys a call when I find her."

She grabbed her coat and was out the door before any of them had the chance to protest.

Fuji grabbed a piece of wasabi sushi. The tennis genius was usually the one to figure out what was happening, along with Inui. But this was different. He had no idea what was wrong with Ryoma or if he really was serious about leaving. And now Sakuno was missing.

"This is turning out to be an interesting day."

* * *

_Please. Please let her be okay._

Ryoma was starting to panic. He searched everywhere for Sakuno but he still couldn't find her.

_Where is she?_

He went to every place he thought she may be. He checked the school, the burger place and every tennis court in the area. He even went to her house but found that it was empty.

_Where is she?_

He kept walking around till he reached a park he had never seen before. He sighed.

_She isn't here either. _

Ryoma turned around and was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice.

"Let me go you jerks!"

_Ryuzaki?_

"Not until you come with us!"

"Yeah don't you like us?"

"Who would like you guys anyway?"

**SMACK**

Ryoma didn't have to guess what that sound meant and so he headed towards where all the noise was coming from. He walked around a corner and found Sakuno pinned up against the wall with 3 guys standing in front of her. Her cheek was red from the hit and her eyes displayed someone who was scared but determined.

"Oi! What are you guys doing?"

Sakuno's head snapped towards Ryoma's direction. He had both his hands inside his pockets and gave the 3 guys a glare that Sakuno has never seen before. She wondered how he knew where to find her but pushed the thought aside. She had bigger problems at hand. How the hell is she going to get herself out of this mess?

"Heh. It's just a kid."

"You should go now if you don't want to get hurt!"

Ryoma continued to glare. He was furious at them for hurting Sakuno and now they were going to get a taste of his anger. He placed his tennis bag on the ground and took out his racket and a tennis ball.

"What are you going to do, kid? Teach us tennis? Hahaha!"

They 2 other guys laughed at the joke. They didn't see Ryoma as a threat and they were sure they were going to get away with what they were doing. The leader of their gang had taken a liking to Sakuno the moment she appeared from behind the corner. And being the obedient underlings they were, the other 2 guys pinned her up against the wall but it was the leader who hit Sakuno on the face. If he was love struck a moment ago, he was now mad at Sakuno for rejecting him.

"I'm not the one who's going to get hurt."


End file.
